- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide an estimate of the number of residential properties held under long leasehold tenure in Scotland, and whether it intends to introduce interim law reforms to provide security of tenure to tenants under such leases where those leases are close to expiry.
Answer
I refer Mr Ewing to the reply I gave on 19 July to question S1W-00275. We have no plans for interim measures.To provide an estimate of the number of residential properties held under long leasehold tenure in Scotland would require considerable research in the Register of Sasines and the Land Register. We do not think this necessary at present, as any review by the Commission will concern the same principles, no matter how many properties are affected.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the system of house purchase and sale in Scotland and, if so, in what respects and with what objectives.
Answer
The housing Green Paper noted that the Scottish system of house purchase has a number of strengths, but recognised concerns that the system can lead to multiple surveys and valuations being commissioned on the same property with considerable abortive costs for unsuccessful bidders. We are currently considering the responses to the Green Paper before making decisions on the way forward.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish a rent deposit fund to provide low-income families and individuals with access to loans to pay deposits for privately rented accommodation.
Answer
In its Partnership for Scotland, the Scottish Executive made a commitment to encourage rent deposit schemes. Local authorities already have powers to give rent guarantees or indemnities, or if required payments, to private sector landlords where this is necessary to secure the grant of a tenancy. We believe that such schemes have a valuable part to play in promoting housing opportunities for households on low incomes.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to recommend to the Scottish Law Commission that it incorporates the issue of long leases of residential property into its seventh programme of law reform.
Answer
I refer Mr Ewing to the reply I gave on 19 July 1999 to his question S1W-00275.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 21 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it has sought and what response it has received from Lloyds TSB regarding the continued presence of Scottish Widows headquarters in Scotland and the continued employment in Scotland of all Scottish Widows employees.
Answer
The First Minister and I met with Scottish Widows to discuss the proposed deal with Lloyds TSB. It is a matter of public record that both Lloyds TSB and Scottish Widows, through their press releases, gave assurances that their combined workforce in Scotland of more than 6,000 will be maintained should the deal between the 2 companies be completed. They have also made clear their expectation that further employment would be created in Scotland over time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 in so far as it relates to matters within its responsibility.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to review the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 in so far as it relates to devolved matters.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 20 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make available details of which local authorities are currently providing free school milk, including details of the extent of this provision and the annual cost in each case.
Answer
Under the Education (Scotland) Act, as amended, all authorities are obliged to provide free school meals, milk or other refreshments for children whose parents receive income support or other income based job seekers allowance. Information on the cost of providing free school milk in schools and the extent of the provision is not collected centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 20 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to encourage local authorities to make free milk available to primary school children.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not intending to do so. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as amended, local authorities must provide free milk, meals and other refreshments to children whose parents are entitled to income support or income based job seekers allowance. They have a discretionary power to provide the same to other children.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to reform the law relating to long leasehold tenure
Answer
This is an area on which the Scottish Executive would prefer to await recommendations from the Scottish Law Commission before legislating.The Commission has given some attention to leasehold tenure in its 1998 report on Leasehold Casualties (Scot Law Com No 165) and it has recommended in its 1999 report on Abolition of the Feudal System (Scot Law Com No 168) that a maximum length be fixed for long leases of land. New residential leases are already limited to 20 years. However a major review by the Commission of leasehold tenure has been deferred until the Commission could complete reports on the Law of the Tenement (Scot Law Com 162), Abolition of the Feudal System and Real Burdens. Only the last of these is outstanding and a report is expected by early next year.The Commission is currently preparing recommendations to Ministers on its sixth programme of law reform and this is likely to include a review of long residential leases.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 19 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make representations to British Airways with regard to the restoration of a direct air service between Inverness and London Heathrow and whether it intends to ask Her Majesty's Government and the European Commission to make similar representations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions have commissioned a study which is looking at the economic impact of the withdrawal of the air service between Inverness and Heathrow. The study is expected to report later in the summer. We shall consider its findings very carefully before determining our response.
